Furnace or heater construction



May 27, 1930. H. w. WEST FURNACE 0R HEATER consmucnou 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed March 19, 1929 May 27, 1930. H. w. WEST FURNACE OR HEATERCONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1929.

May 27, 1930. I H. w. WEST 1,760,330

FURNACE OR HEATER CONSTRUCTION Filed Match 19, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented May 27, 1930 warren stares HOW'ARD W. "WEST, OF PORTSMOUTH,VIRGINIA I FURNACE OR HEATER CONSTRUCTION Application filed March 19,1929. Serial No. 348,226.

This invention relates to a furnace or heator construction, and has foran lmportant object thereof the provision of a furnace body constructioncapable of use either in an air heater or in a hotwater or steamboilerconstruction.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide fortube circulat on through the furnace body while employing constructionsuch that the flue gases may be circulated along at least a portion ofthe walls of the tube after they have entered the flue.

A still further object of the invention 1s to produce a device of thischaracter wh ch may be constructed in the form of a casting and which,because of its arrangement, is capable of sectional construction.

A still further object of the invention 1s to provide in a constructionof this character when employed as an air heater an arrangement suchthat recirculation of partially heated air may be obtained, and a downdraft within the usual casing and about the walls of the furnace may beproduced.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter providing for superheating of air in conjunction with theusual external heating by the outer wall of the furnace in which thesuperheater may be readily rendered inoperative when desired.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in theaccompanying drawr ings, wherein for the purpose of illustration isshown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Figure 1 is aside elevation of an air heater constructed in accordance with myinvention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough on line 22 of Figure1;

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure l is a plan view of the furnace unit; ,7 Figure 5 is a section online 55 of Figure 1; a

Figure 6 is an elevation showing the double control member;

Figure 7 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 3 andillustrating a modification of construction permitting use of the deviceas a water heater.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10generally designates a furnace body casting having the usual ash pit 11,fire box 12 separated from the ash pit by a grate 13 and a combustionchamber 14:. v the upperv end of which has a central depressed portion15, at present shown as in the form of a concavity produced in the head16 of the casting. The casting is reduced in size at the rate line, thusproducing a downwardly facing shoulder 17 this reduction producing theusual downward taper of the lower end of the'fire box. The fire box 12is provided with the usual feed opening 18 and the ash pit 11 withtheusual clean-out opening 19. I

The wall of the depressed portion 15 has form-ed therein acircumferential series of L openings 20, at present shown as siX innumber and from these openings, tubes 21 extend downwardly and outwardlythrough the comcasting, so that the tube merely forms a rib on theinside of the wall 22. Each tube terminates at and opens downwardlythrough the shoulder 17, as indicated at 23.

The rear portion of the furnace wall 22 at its upper end has an outlet24 for flue gases and at its sides has a pair of outlets 25 for suchgases. The outlet 24 communicates with a main flue 26 which maydischarge to the atmosphere through any suitable outlet connection andthat while the outlets 25 communicate with :tiues 27, the ends of whichcombine in a single flue 28 opening into the main flue 26. At thejunction of the --main flue and the flue'tube 28, a damper 29 isprovided for either closing the outlet opening 24- or closingcommunication between the main flue 26 and the tube 28.

Each'of the fiues 27 and the flue tube into which these fiuesmerge haveas their wall the vouter wall of the furnace. It has been previouslynoted that each of the tubes 21 has its outer wall for the lower portionof prodded with re nt folds lave upwarc its length formed by the outerwall of the furnace. The flues 27 are each sinusoidal embodying parallelruns extending longitudinally of and in alignment with certain of thetubes 21, so that the portion of t 1e furnace wall 22 lying betweenthese tubes is common to the tubes and forms the inner wall of one tubeand the outer wall of the other at these parallel runs. While the runs30 have been referred to as parallel, it will, of course, be understoodthat this term is'merely relative, and the parallelism of the runs 30will depend. upon parallelism of those portions of the tubes 80 whichhave as their outer wall the outer wall of the furnace.

It will be obvious that afluid medium to be heated, upon. entering thetubes will pass upwardly therethrough, due to the circulative effectsproduced by heating thereof; The major heat transfer between this fluidmedium and the heated gases withinthe furnace will, of course, occur inthe combustion chamber 14;, particularly when the damper 29 is soarranged that flue gases may pass through the openin 241. Vwhen,however, the damper 29 closes the opening 24, gases passing through theopenings 25, flue tubes 27'. and 28 to the main flue 26 will provide additional heating of the lower ends of the tubes 21, thereby materiallvincreasing the heat transfer at such ends. Under these circumstances, avery. rapid circulation of the fluid medium through the tubes 21 willtake place without regard as to whether this fluid is water or air. 7

7 It will, of course, be obvious that in event the medium to be heatedis water, a suitable jacket must be applied directly to the furnace andin event the medium to be heated is air, a jacket must surround thisfurnace.

For the purpose of illustration, I have shown the heater as of the airheating type and as surrounded by. a jacket 31 which is spaced from-theouter wall ofthe furnace and which is l-o'uvered adjacent its lower end,as at 32, to admit air thereto. The upper end of this casing is atpresent shown in the form of a'cloine apertured for the circulation ofair therethrough. The side and rear walls of the casingin addition tothe louvers 32 are vely large air intake a ll'lli'lliOld 35 beingsecured to -iner face of the jaclret'wall about the edges of the inletopenii. These niani v and wardly directed nozzles 36, the innerends ofich have outlet openings of less diameter than the diameter of the tubes21 arranged in slightly spaced relationto the lower ends 23 of thesetubes.

willbe obvious that with the rapid circulation provided throughthe'.tubes 21, a very .iderabl'e' suction effect will be exerted throughthese nozzles, causing freshair to be'drawn from the'nozales inthe formof a jet directed lllll()tl'i8 lower end of-the tube.

By closing the space between the bottom of the furnace and the jacket,as indicated at 37, this air will be drawn from the upper portion ofthis space, with the result that this additional air drawn into thetubes is already, partially heated and is superheated in the tubes. Suchan arrangement will heat the fluid medium extremely rapidly andprovision is accordingly made for controlling the circulation throughthe tubes. This means is at present illustrated as a, pair-of pivotedsegmental dampers 38 having. a con trol associatedtherewith,as indicatedat 89. The dampers 38, when in closed position, engage the upper wall 16of "the furnace casting about the edges of the depression 15 and thuseffectually seal the upper ends of the tubes 21. In the construction ofthe fun nace, provision should be made for cleaning soot collectionsfrom the flue tubes 27, these means being at present disclosed asclean-out doors 40 arranged in the connections between the lower ends ofparallel runs 30.

It will be obvious fr-omthe foregoing that a furnace constructedinaccordance with my inve; ion maybe readily and cheaplypro duced andwill provide a highly efficient means for 'circulatinga fluid medium tobe heated and for utilizing the heat of the flue ases.

lit will also be obvious that the construction hereinbefore set forth iscapable-of a certain range of change and modification without materiallydeparting from the spirit of the invention and I accordingly do notlimit myself thereto except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim 1. In a furnace having the usual wall, fluid conducting tubesdisposed .interiorly'of the furnace andhaving their upper ends openingthrough the top and their lower ends through the lower part'thereof,each of said tubes having as the outer wall thereof for at least aportion of its length'formed by the furnace wall, and fines arrangedexteriorly to said wall and having as their inner walls the outer wallof'the furnace, said flues having portions aligning with said tubes andsubstantially coextensive with the portions of the'tubes which havetheir outer walls formed by the furnace wall.

2. The combination with a furnace having the usual wall, an interiorlydisposed tube and an exterior'ly disposed line, said flue and tube'eachha'ving portions of the wall thereof common to the wall of theother and apertion of the furnace wall, saidtube opening at one endthrough the top and at the 'other through'the 'lowerpart of the furnace,said flue having one end thereof in counnunication with the interior ofthe furnace.

3. In combination with a furnace including the usual fire box andcombustion chamber, a side wall common to the fire box and combustionchamber and an upper wall for the combustion chamber, fluid conductingtubes disposed interiorly of the furnace and opening at their upper endsthrough said upper wall and at their lower ends through the side wall,said tubes for aportion of their length extending along said side walland at said portions having as their outer walls the side wall of thefurnace.

4. In combination with a. furnace including the usual fire box andcombustion chamber, a side wall common to the fire box and combustionchamber and an upper wall for the combustion chamber, fluid conductingtubes disposed interiorly of the furnace and opening at their upper endsthrough said upper Wall and at their lower ends through the side wall,said tubes for a portion of their length extending along said side walland at said portions having as their outer walls the side wall of thefurnace, and dampers controlling circulation through said tubes.

5. In combination with a furnace including the usual fire box andcombustion chamber, a side wall common to the the box and combustionchamber and an upper wall for the combustion chamber, fluid conductingtubes disposed interiorly of the furnace and opening at their upper endsthrough said upper wall and at their lower ends through the side wall,said tubes for a portion of their length extending along said side walland at said portions having as their outer walls the side wall of thefurnace, and out-let flues communicating at one end with the combus tionchamber and at the opposite ends with a main flue, said outlet flueseach having as their inner walls the side wall of the furnace, the innerwalls of said outlet flues coinciding with and extending longitudinallyof the tubes at the portions of said tubes which have their outer wallsformed by the furnace wall.

6. In combination with a furnace including the usual fire box andcombustion chamber, a side wall common to the fire box and combustionchamber and an upper wall for the combustion chamber, fluid conductingtubes disposed interiorly of the furnace and opening at their upper endsthrough said upper wall and at their lower ends through the side wall,said tubes for a portion of their length extending along said side walland at said portions having as their outer walls the side wall of thefurnace, outlet flues communicating at one end with the combustionchamber and at the opposite ends with a main fiue, said outlet fineseach having as their inner walls the side wall of the furnace, the innerwalls of said outlet flues coinciding with and extending longitudinallyof the tubes at the portions of said tubes which have their outer wallsformed by the furnace wall, said main flue likewise communicating withthe combustion chamber, and means for controlling said flues and mainflue to deter mine the proportions of the products of combustion passingtherethrough.

7. A furnace having the usual wall and having associated therewith aninteriorly disposed tube the ends of which open through said wall, andan exteriorly disposed flue cominuni *ating at one end with the interiorof the furnace, portions of said furnace wall being common to both thetube and flue.

8. In a furnace and in combination a furnace wall, a casing thereabout,a fluid conducting tube disposed interiorly of the furnace and openingthrough the furnace wall at vertically spaced points, and means forintroducing a medium to be heated through the casing wall to the lowerend of said tube combining with the lower end of the tube'to produce aninjector.

9. In a furnace having the usual wall, fluid conductin tubes dis osedinteriorl of the furnace and having their ends opening through the wallat vertically spaced points, each of said tubes having'as the outerwallthereof for at least a portion of its length formed by the furnace wall,fiues arranged exteriorly to said wall having as their inner walls theouter wall of the furnace, said flues having portions aligning with saidtubes and substantially coextensive with the portions of the tubes whichhave their outer walls formed by the furnace wall, a main flue withwhich the first named flues communicate, and damper means for directingthe products of combustion from the furnace through said fines orthrough said main flue.

10. The combination with a furnace hav- .ing the usual wall, aninteriorly disposed tube and an exteriorly disposed flue, said flue andtube each'having portions of the wall thereof common to the wall of theother and a portion of the furnace wall, said tube opening at itsopposite ends through the furnace wall at vertically spaced points, saidflue having one end thereof in communication with the interior of thefurnace, a second flue communicating with the first named flue and withthe furnace, and means for directing the products of combustion throughsaid second flue or to said second flue to the first named flue.

11. In a furnace and in combination a furnace wall, a casing thereaboutand in spaced relation thereto, vertically extending fluid conductingtubes disposed interiorly of the furnace and opening at their endsthrough the furnace wall, and manifolds carried by said casingcommunicating with the exterior of the casing and having nozzlesconfronting the lower ends of said' tubes in spaced relation thereto.

12. Ina furnace and in combination a furnace Wall, a casing thereaboutand in spaced relation thereto, vertically extending fluid conductingtubes disposed interiorly of the furnace and opening at their endsthrough the furnace wall, manifolds carried by said casing communicatingwith the exterior of the casing and having nozzles confronting the lowerends of said tubes in spaced relation thereto, and damper meanscontrolling circulation of a medium to be heated through saidtubes.

13. The combination With a furnace having the usual wall, a plurality ofinteriorly disposed vertically extending fluid conducting tubes openingat their opposite ends through said wail, an eXteriorly disposed"sinuous'flue having portions thereof each confronting a tube, thefurnace Wall constituting a division wall between the tubes and 14. Thecombination with a furnace havmg the usual Wall, a plurality ofinteriorly disposed vertically extending fluid conducting tubes openingat their opposite ends through said wall, an exteriorly disposed sinuousflue having portions thereof each confronting a tube, the furnace Wallconstituting a division wall between the tubes and the flue, a casingsurrounding said furnace, a manifold carried by the casing andcommunicating with the exterior thereof, and

' signature.

nozzles carried by said manifold and confronting the lower ends of thetubes in spaced relation thereto.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my HOWARD W. Wear.

